Savage Desire (Savage Lagonda 1) (23 page)

"Leave him alone, Palomas," Tajarez told him.

Mara breathed a sigh of relief as Palomas sheathed his knife.

Without another word, Tajarez walked away with Mara in his arms, leaving Jeffery to explain what had occurred to a badly shaken Anthony.

"Put me down, Tajarez. Put me down this instant. I do not like the way Anthony was treated. I will not stand for my friends' being threatened.

"Anthony? What is this man to you?"

"I told you. He is a friend."

"You are lucky I did not kill him myself. No one is to touch you, is that clear?"

"Oh, that is perfectly clear. Does that also include yourself? Had you better not run back and ask Palomas if you can be with me at this moment?"

He placed her on her feet. "You will not speak to me like this, Mara," he warned.

"You have so many rules, Tajarez. I, who am a mere girl, cannot possibly remember them all." She was angry and hurt. She turned to walk back to where Jeffery was talking to Anthony.

Tajarez grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. "You will stay with me. I will not allow you to return to that man."

Placing her hands on her hips, she looked at him defiantly. "You cannot tell me what to do."

By this time they were surrounded by twenty or more Lagonda warriors. Tajarez frowned at her. "Mara, I warn you, do not push me too far."

"Just do not tell me I cannot talk to my friend. He may be hurt."

"Mara, you will obey me." He took her hand and pulled her none too gently along with him. She had to run to keep up with his long strides. Tajarez signaled for his men to join them. "Take us to the other side of the river," he ordered the startled pilot of the barge. The anger in Tajarez's voice and the look in his eye were enough to tell the man he would brook no delays.

Mara was seething inside as she watched the shore fade into the distance as they were carried to the other side. When the barge came to rest against the opposite bank, Mara was the first one ashore. It did not matter to her that she had gotten her boots muddy, she wanted to get as far away from Tajarez as she could.

Tanka and Anias watched the anger between Mara and Tajarez. Anias smiled. "It would seem there is trouble ahead for the lovers. Tajarez does not know how to handle her."

Tanka watched the girl with jaundiced eyes. "You could handle her, Anias?"

"Yes, if she belonged to me, I would do things differently from my cousin."

"You have eyes for Tajarez's woman. I have seen you watching her."

He turned to her quickly. "And what if I do, will you tell my cousin?"

"No, but I will help you, if you really want her."

Anias laughed. "How can you, who are no longer in favor with Tajarez, help me?"

"There are ways. I do not want to see him with her any more than you do, Anias."

His eyes narrowed. "You think he would turn to you if she were out of his life?"

"It is possible."

He shook his head. "You are very beautiful, but even you cannot make him forget the Golden One."

"If you allow me to aid you, perhaps you can have her," Tanka told him.

Anias studied her for a moment. "I do not need your help, Tanka, but I will have the Golden One." Then he walked away from her, leaving Tanka to doubt his sanity.

Sasha delivered a message to Mara from Tajarez, asking that she dine with him and Jeffery, but Mara refused, stating she was not ready to face Tajarez; she was still too angry. Though Jeffery had assured her that Anthony had not been injured by Palomas that afternoon, it still did not excuse what he had done. When she had seen Palomas earlier, she had given him a proper dressing down for the way he had treated Anthony, and although Palomas had not understood her words, she was sure he had recognized her displeasure by the tone of her voice.

He had only stared at her and watched as she swept into the tent. A slight smile had creased his face. He knew she was unhappy with him, but she would soon learn and accept that he was her protector.

Later Mara felt guilty for being so angry with Palomas. He had only been carrying out orders. It was Tajarez who was at fault.

Mara lay on her fur robe. The storm outside the tent seemed to fit her mood as it grew in intensity. The walls of the tent were being peppered with the downpour of rain. The thunder seemed to shake the very ground she lay upon, and the lightning crackled as it split through the air.

"Mara, are you sleeping?" Sasha asked from the fur robe where she lay nearby.

"No, it does not seem a good night for sleeping, Sasha."

"Are you still angry with the prince?"

Mara sighed heavily. "I am very angry. What happened today was unforgivable."

"Mara, the prince was not responsible for Palomas's actions today. His orders come only from the king himself. He was ordered to look after you, and keep you safe, but you know this."

"I was in no danger from Anthony; he is a friend of mine."

"Mara, once you become the bride of the prince, no one outside the royal family will be allowed to touch you without special permission."

"Permission from whom?"

"The prince."

Mara sat up quickly. "I will allow no one to treat me as a possession. It seems that if I allow it, I will have no life of my own, and be treated like some china figurine."

"The prince loves you very much, Mara. He is very jealous of any man who would look at you."

"Jealousy does not always mean love, Sasha. A man can be jealous of his friends or even his horse. That does not mean he loves them."

"Mara, the prince is very miserable because you quarreled today. When I told him you would not dine with him tonight, he left the tent and walked in the rain. I have never seen him this way. Please be patient with him, for while you do not understand many things about him and his way of life, he is also learning about you and the way you think and feel. Tajarez is the prince royal. He is always obeyed, and his words are never questioned. I believe he is having a hard time understanding you. He is being very patient, for him."

"If today is any example of his patience, I would hate to see him when he is unbending," Mara said angrily. "I cannot change and be someone who has no thoughts and opinions of my own. I was brought up to think for myself, and encouraged to express my feelings. I love Tajarez, and will compromise many things for him, but I will not become someone who "will bend to his every whim. To do so would be to become mindless, and I can assure you that will never happen."

"Have you said this to the prince?" Sasha asked, feeling proud of the way Mara stood up for herself. It was a new idea to her that a mere woman could go against the prince. It was unheard of, and to Sasha, a little frightening. She knew she would never disagree with the prince, nor would anyone of her acquaintance. Even grown warriors would not dare displease the prince, for retribution would be swift and sure.

"Let us talk of something else, Sasha. I do not wish to think of Tajarez tonight. I am still too angry."

Sasha was quiet for a moment, then she spoke softly: "Mara, I am most grateful to you for standing up for me today at the trading post. I do not understand why the white woman disliked me so much."

Mara could hear the hurt in Sasha's voice. She turned over on her stomach and propped her head on her hand. "There are cruel people in the world, Sasha, such as the woman at the trading post. They are narrow-minded and stupid. They lash out at anyone who is different from themselves."

"I do not understand this."

"Nor will you ever, Sasha. You have never been exposed to bigotry. Put the incident out of your mind. I will see that you never encounter such ugliness again."

"Mara, the prince was very pleased today when I told him of your defending me to the woman."

"Go to sleep, Sasha. Perhaps by tomorrow, you will have forgotten about the woman's cruelty." But Mara knew it would be a long time before Sasha would be able to put the incident out of her mind. She felt responsible for Sasha. Throughout the years, Mara had made many different friends, but she felt closer to Sasha than she had to any of the others. Sometimes she wished she could be more like Sasha, who was so understanding and forgiving.

Mara had a temper, and more often than not, would become angry over something unimportant. She supposed it had been the way she had been brought up. Her parents had indulged her and had allowed her to express her views, but now Tajarez seemed to want to crush her free spirit and make her subservient to his wishes. If he had wanted a woman who would only say the things he wanted to hear, he should have chosen one of the women of his tribe, for she would never let a man dominate her thinking.

The rain had let up by now, and Mara felt herself becoming drowsy. Maybe, she thought, she would not ask Tajarez to apologize. Perhaps she should just allow the matter to drop. She did not want to quarrel with him.

Yes, tomorrow she would act as though nothing had gone wrong between them.

The camp was silent. The thunderstorm had moved on, and most everyone was asleep. All the tents were darkened, except for one. Tajarez paced up and down the fur robe, while Jeffery watched.

"How can you defend your sister, when you know she was in the wrong, Jeffery?"

"I am saying she had every right to be angry with you. What you and Palomas did today was inexcusable. Anthony would never have harmed Mara. He is very fond of her."

Tajarez stopped in front of Jeffery and- let out his breath. "I am aware of his feelings for Mara. Your sister will soon learn that I will not allow her to show anger toward me in front of my people. I must be obeyed. Most of my warriors witnessed her performance today. I can only guess what they are thinking. I cannot seem to appear weak in their eyes."

"Has it never occurred to you that
you
could be in the wrong?" Jeffery asked.

Tajarez raised his eyebrow, and sank down on the white cushion. He was thoughtful for a moment, as though it were a new idea to him that he might be at fault.

"No. I was right; Mara belongs to me. I will never allow another man to touch what is mine."

"Yet according to you, she is not yet your wife," Jeffery reminded him.

"No, she is not yet my wife, but she belongs to me nonetheless."

"Would you not soon become bored with a wife who would always do what you expect of her? You are surrounded with people who will say yes to anything you ask. Do you not sometimes wish for someone to have an opinion of his own?"

"Jeffery, I like to think I am fair-minded. If someone has something worthwhile and intelligent to say to me, I will listen and consider his side of it. Am I not allowing you to speak now, even though you are mistaken? I would not want a wife who would merely echo my opinions, but Mara goes one step beyond what is allowed. She is obstinate, opinionated, and most of the time I do not know where I stand with her."

Jeffery smiled. "You secretly like her this way, do you not?"

Tajarez turned his dark eyes on Jeffery. "I love her, but she must learn to obey me in all things."

"She will never learn that, Tajarez."

"I believe she will learn; though she may not like it at first."

Jeffery laughed and shook his head. "You do not know my sister very well. Perhaps it will be she who changes you.

Tajarez smiled slightly. "Perhaps. If she but knew it, I am already her willing slave. She has the power within her small hand to bend me to her will. Was it not proof of it tonight when I summoned her to dine with me and allowed her to refuse my invitation? I am lenient with her. Is that not proof that I am willing to compromise?"

"Is it not always so when one is in love, Tajarez?"

"How can I know, I have never loved before your sister. Do you speak from experience, Jeffery?"

Jeffery thought of Sasha and his reaction to her. "I believe myself to be halfway in love at this moment. Love is as new to me as it is to you."

"Will this woman you fancy yourself in love with still be available to you when you return to your home?"

"I do not know if she will ever be available to me. But we were speaking of you."

"The subject has been talked out, Jeffery," Tajarez said, no longer wishing to discuss Mara. Standing up, Tajarez removed his headband. "Do you wish to accompany me in the morning? I am taking Anias hunting, and you, if you wish to go along." Jeffery stood up. "Yes, you can count on me." "Good. Now the hour is late. You should try to get some sleep." Tajarez dismissed him.

Jeffery walked to his tent, which was the one closest to Mara's. The more he came to know Tajarez, the more he liked him, but Tajarez would not find Mara as easy to control as he thought. There would be many battles of will before the two of them reached an understanding of one another, he thought, and if he was a betting man, he would place his wager on Mara to be the final victor.

It took much food to sustain such a large number of people. They were moving at too fast a pace to dry the meat, and fresh game had to be killed daily because the weather was hot and the meat spoiled quickly.